A Week

I spent some time in my garden. Despite the lack of rain here, necessitating a serious cut back on water usage, it’s been a stellar Spring for our roses.

Much better than last season, when my babies had to suffer through the vestiges of a ‘bad haircut’ earlier in the year. We all know what that feels like.

The good news is my friend Dani Hahn, from “Rose Story Farm” assures me that roses don’t need much water to thrive. I plan on doing an entire week of rose posts soon, so I’ll leave the rose talk at that for now.

I also took a couple of beautiful hikes this week, including one to the top of the mountains above Montecito with a good friend who was celebrating her birthday. Nothing like reaching the peak after a hard climb to appreciate and commemorate the passing of another year. The stone heart stays the same but the messages change. This week we found one worth sharing.

The mist cleared when we reached the summit and the views were just gorgeous.

So Game of Thrones. (OK, I still haven’t watched it yet!)

The wild flowers were sprouting and the hills were surprisingly green.

Why don’t I hike every week?!

~

On a sadder note,

We lost a great literary legend with the passing of Gabriel Garcia Marquez on Thursday.

I remember so very clearly the first time I read “Love in the Time of Cholera”. It was as if I’d had the air knocked out of me. This love story, this incredible love story-it seeped into every fibre of my being. I was not even on this planet from the very first page to the last. It’s one of the few books I’ve read more than once.

and I’m rereading it again this week.

Sorry “Middlemarch” but I’m kicking you to the curb for a few days. I’m quite sure George Eliot would understand.

~

and lastly, back on a lighter note;

One of my friends was rocking Black & Yellow the day after my post on the same, so I just simply had to share this.

Ines de La Fressange or what?!

Oh, just one more thing…

While we are on the subject of favourites? This happened last night! Bryan Ferry came to our little Santa Barbara Bowl and he was simply wonderful. The man is pure elegance in a top coat. Yes, a top coat.

26 Comments

Your blog almost makes me want to leave Paris and move back to Santa Barbara! I love Rose story Farm and Had a Wonderful Time There with My mother having lunch and a tour of the Rose Garden. After our visit their, we bought 300 David Austin rosebushes and planted them at our house in Summerland!!! I love the vase in the first picture! Where did you get that? The picture of your friend in the yellow and black… Looks like Mer, James. Anyway, thank you for your blog. Love it!

I’m happy to see Bryan Ferry still rockin’ it! Where do I begin here? I’m also reading Middlemarch right now, Slim and I would be happy to kick it to the curb for Love in the Time of Cholera. I need to reread that one. It’s been several years and I’m sure I would have different perspective on it now.

Your rose photos are so clear I can practically feel those velvety petals! So, so beautiful. How lucky you are to have such a beautiful hiking area so close to home – and the message at the top is particularly meaningful here in Boston today on Marathon Monday. I’m off shortly to cheer on all those dedicated runners (as I will never be one!).
Thanks for sharing your week – looking forward, as always, to many more!

Gorgeous flowers, fresh air and exercise in natural beauty, friends, inspirational reading material, stellar fashion and a super classy Rocker. He looks so sexy in his top coat!! I haven’t seen Game of Thrones either…nor do I care. Enjoy your week. I’ll be rereading Love In The Time Of Cholera.

I love hiking in Santa Barbara, you have so many wonderful trails and the views are spectacular. What a fun way to celebrate! I hope you went to Cava afterwards! Lovely roses, I can’t wait to see more, I’ve just planted a new garden with an array of white roses. It’s always nice to see what’s to come by watching what’s in bloom in your gardens!

I agree with those who are fans of Garcia-Marquez–his work is magical and can be life-changing. I re-read “100 Years of Solitude” every couple years just to recapture the feeling I got “the first time.” I have his autobiography; also worth reading. Peace.

Love in the Time of Cholera…..I was in Kathmandu, the book had just come out in English, and all the backpackers were reading it. Appropriate, because I’d been admonished only only to not drink the water but also to keep my mouth shut in the shower, lest I get a taste of cholera or something else.